The Face of an Angel
by PinkyTardis
Summary: An urgent call from Martha summons the Doctor to Earth with Amy and Rory in tow. A suprise encounter with a deadly enemy may yield answers to the whereabouts of an old and very dear friend of the Doctor, someone he thought he had lost forever.
1. Chapter 1

The dying star collapsed, having finally succumbed to the weight of its own matter. After consuming the last of its fuel, the iron core destabilized as it lost heat. Unable to balance the gravity, its core yielded and the star exploded. The blinding light was brighter than a billion stars in the night sky.

"Pretty cool, Doctor." Amy took a sip of lemonade.

"Isn't it just?" He looked at her and winked, completely forgetting that she couldn't see his eyes behind the thick solar glasses. "The explosion can last a whole month."

"Are you sure this isn't going to cause any permanent damage, Doctor? "

"If you're not blind Rory, then you're fine." The Doctor took his empty glass and stood up. "Anyone else need a refill?"

Amy and Rory both shook their heads. They were lying on wooden deck chairs that had been placed in front of the open Tardis doors, affording a perfect view of the supernova. Amy stretched her arms.

"I wonder if you could get a tan like this."

"It would burn you alive if the Tardis shields weren't up." The Doctor picked up a large jug. "And even those won't protect your eyes." As he finished pouring the lemonade, he became aware of a persistent buzzing noise. Looking around, he asked, "Do you two hear that?"

"Hear what?" Amy and Rory looked back at him.

"It's like a vibration or something. I can't tell where it's coming from." He set down his drink and began to search.

Listening intently, he followed the sound. It seemed to be emanating from his favorite yellow chair, by the console. He put his hand into the crack between the backrest and the bottom cushion, and pulled out a mobile phone. It continued to buzz, announcing an incoming call. The Doctor stared at the number on the readout for a moment before answering it. "Hello, Martha."

"Doctor, there you are! Where were you? I've been phoning for hours."

"I'm sorry Martha, I must have accidently set the mobile to vibrate. I only just heard it now. What can I do for you?"

Martha's voice sounded uncertain. "Doctor? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me Martha, who else would it be?" Then it dawned on him. ."Oh, you haven't heard my new voice yet, have you? Well, what do you think of it?"

The line was silent for a moment. "I…I don't really know. It's just different…I guess."

"Yes, well I quite like it. I think it's rather deep and masculine, don't you?" Behind him, Amy and Rory exchanged raised eyebrows at the Doctor's odd conversation.

Martha spoke quietly. "So…You've regenerated then."

The Doctor laughed. "Don't sound so serious Martha, it's not as bad as all that. I've had worse regenerations, mind you. All in all, I think I came out pretty well on this one." The Doctor looked into a small mirror that was attached to the console. He turned his head and studied his profile. "Not sure about the forehead, but I do like the cheeks." He rubbed his hand over his chin. "And a good, strong jawline." Martha's voice became slightly impatient.

"Look, maybe I should just get to the point. I need you here as soon as possible. I don't know how much I can tell you over the phone, but it's very urgent."

"Alright Martha, I'll be there shortly." The Doctor hung up, and turned to Amy and Rory. "I'm sorry guys, but we're going to have to cut this party short." He made some adjustments on the console. "Would you please do me the courtesy of shutting the Tardis doors?"

"Aw Doctor, this is the best part!" Pouting, Amy stood up and watched as Rory closed the doors. "Who is Martha? And where did you get that phone?" She took off her solar glasses and walked over to the Doctor, who had begun imputing coordinates.

"It's Martha's. " The Doctor pulled a lever and the Tardis lurched, spilling lemonade all over the floor. "She used to travel with me for a bit, not so long ago. She gave me her mobile in case she needed me for anything. Strange things tend to happen to my companions once we part our separate ways."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Well, that's comforting."

"Hang on Doctor," Rory had also removed his glasses and was looking at the Doctor's face. "What did you mean when you said 'new voice'?"

"Well, that's kind of a long story Rory. And the short version is, I haven't always looked or sounded like this." The Doctor put his head down, and pretended to concentrate on the console.

"What, like you've had plastic surgery or something?" Amy looked intrigued. "What did you look like before?"

The Doctor stopped fiddling with the controls, and sighed. "My race, our bodies have the ability to heal themselves when we are about to die, by changing our entire cell structure. We look totally different as a result, but we come back to life."

"You mean like a zombie?"

The Doctor looked affronted. "No, not a zombie, it's a survival mechanism. When the body sustains enough damage to threaten cardiac arrest, the cells trigger a regeneration process. Unfortunately, it's very painful, and you're never quite sure what the results are going to be. It changes everything." He looked at himself in the mirror again. "Although it didn't turn out too badly this time around."

"Can you show us what you looked like before?" Rory had finished putting away the deck chairs, and came to stand next to Amy.

"I don't think so Rory, I don't keep a photo album of my previous regenerations."

Amy stared at the Doctor. "How many times have you changed?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "This is my eleventh face. I'm actually quite young for a Time Lord, being in my eleventh regeneration. Usually they're thousands of years old by the time they get to eleven.

Amy shook her head. "So you've looked like eleven different people? I'm sorry but that's just weird."

The Doctor frowned at her. "Well I think it's weird that you spend your entire life looking exactly the same. Don't you ever get bored with the monotony?"

The Tardis lurched again, and the time rotor came to a halt.

"Well, we're here. Time for you to meet Martha!" The Doctor walked to the door and clapped his hands. "This should be interesting." Amy and Rory followed him out. They had landed in a large cargo bay, surrounded by numerous rows of unmarked crates. Martha was waiting just outside of the Tardis. She stood next to a young man, who was surveying the Doctor with a critical expression.

"Mickey! Martha, it's so good to see you!" The Doctor grinned and walked over to them, arms extended. Mickey shook his head.

"So, you've gone and done it again, have you Doctor?" He smirked. "What's the matter, are you blind this time?"

It took the Doctor a moment to realize that he still had his solar glasses on. "Oh these?" He took them off and put them into his pocket. "I forgot about those. You interrupted a supernova viewing party I'm afraid. Bye bye, Betelgeuse!" The Doctor waved towards the ceiling. "And now, am I going to get a hug or am I going to stand here all day?" Martha stepped forward, hesitant.

"It really is you, Doctor?" 

"You knew that I could regenerate Martha. I hope you weren't so attached to the old face that you can't enjoy the new one!"

Mickey put his arm around Martha and looked at the Doctor. "You must really have a thing for big ears."

The Doctor frowned. "I think they give me a lot of character. I find them much more interesting than your ears, Mickey Smith."

Mickey laughed. "You can say that again."

"Oh come here, you!" The Doctor wrapped Mickey and Martha in a bear hug, and was inwardly surprised at how glad he was to see them. He had been so sure that his previous brief encounter with them would be his last. They broke apart and Martha turned to Amy and Rory.

"Well, look at you Doctor. Some things don't change, you must have a thing for redheads." She smiled at Amy, who grinned back. Rory did not look so pleased at the comment.

"Pleasure to meet you Martha, I'm Amy." They shook hands. "And this gentleman is?"

Mickey smiled. "I'm Martha's husband, Mickey Smith."

"This is my husband, Rory." Amy squeezed his arm, as Rory gave a brief nod.

The Doctor clapped his hands. "Well, now that the introductions are over with, Martha, perhaps you can tell us about this urgent matter that you needed help with."

"Yes of course, Doctor. Please, follow me." As they made their way through the cavernous cargo bay, Martha began to explain. "A couple of weeks ago, UNIT came into possession of some very hazardous material. A very hazardous thing, to be precise. It was discovered at a quarry in Dorset, when it was unearthed by an explosion. It was in a section of rock that that couldn't have seen sunlight in at least a million years. Of course, UNIT took over and brought it to one of our labs. That's when it started changing form. They discovered that it was absorbing radiation from their equipment."

The Doctor seemed alarmed at this last revelation. "It wasn't a hand was it?"

Martha raised an eyebrow at him. "It does have hands. Let me take you to it."

They followed Martha into a large lift, where each floor required a special key card entry. When the lift came to a stop, they exited into a dark hallway.

Amy spoke. "Where are we, anyway?"

"These are the UNIT vaults, where the high risk items are stored." Martha continued to lead them down the lengthy hallway, which was lined with large, heavily fortified doors. Each had its own touch screen monitor attached to the front. Martha stopped in front of one, and tapped a code into the touch screen. A picture of the interior of the room came onto the display. Amy gasped.

Martha looked grim. "Now do you understand why I called you?"

"I don't get it." Rory stared at the monitor. "It's just a stone statue."

Amy fought to keep her voice calm. "Doctor, what is it doing here? I thought you said all of the Angels were gone, you said they ceased to exist after they fell into the crack."

"Those Angels that we encountered weren't the only ones in existence, Amy. There have probably been Angels on Earth since it formed." The Doctor looked at Martha. "What's going on here? Why is UNIT keeping an Angel? Didn't you tell them how dangerous it is?"

Martha nodded. "Of course I did, Doctor. But they want to study it; they think it can be used to create a defensive weapon. And so far, this Angel has shown no signs of aggression.

The Doctor was surprised. "What?"

"The workers who found it had carried it out of the quarry by hand, and none of them were adversely affected. It was left unmonitored several times, but it hasn't attacked anyone. It appears to be dormant, aside from absorbing radiation. It was also extremely deformed when they found it .The radiation must have somehow restored it to its present condition."

The Doctor stared at the scene on the monitor. The Angel sat, unmoving. It wasn't facing the camera; its face was hidden behind its hands. It was never safe to look at the image of an Angel for too long, but this felt different somehow. Little was known about the Weeping Angels. There had been legends, whispers as to their origins, but nothing concrete. The Doctor had always wondered how such a species could even come into existence, unless they had been manufactured.

And then he met Rassilon. The first time the Doctor had encountered Rassilon, he had seen firsthand how the Time Lord dealt with potential enemies; he turned them into stone. Looking back, the Doctor wondered how he had failed to make the seemingly obvious connection at the time. The Weeping Angels had the abilities of time travel and quantum lock, and had been around at least as long as the Time Lords. Was it possible that the Weeping Angels were a product of the Time Lords themselves? Created as some sort of punishment? He thought back to his last encounter with Rassilon. The two Time Lords whose faces were hidden, Rassilon said that they would "stand as monuments to their shame, like the Weeping Angels of old." Not much was known about Gallifrey under the rule of Rassilon, except that it was a violent and aggressive time. The Time Lords had not been observers of the universe, they were conquerors. Was it possible that the Weeping Angels were victims of Rassilons battles? Prisoners forced to endure an eternity in stone, feeding off the potential energy of others. It made as much sense as anything else.

But what was different about this Angel? What had prevented it from being aggressive? The Doctor shuddered. If his theory was correct, then how many innocent people had been condemned to live as Weeping Angels?

"Martha, I want you to open the vault. I want to see this Angel myself."

Amy grabbed the Doctor's Arm. "Doctor, are you NUTS? You can't go in there!"

The Doctor pulled his arm away, and straightened his jacket. "And why not? Martha said those workers pulled this statue out by hand. This Weeping Angel is different. It hasn't attacked anyone."

"Yet! For all we know it could be waiting for you."

Rory interjected. "Um, is anyone going to tell me what's so threatening about a statue? It is a little creepy looking, I'll grant you-"

The Doctor turned to Rory. "The Weeping Angels are a race of beings that exist in a state of quantum flux. They possess the perfect defense mechanism; they turn to stone if anyone is looking at them."

Rory laughed. "That could be any statue. What happens if you don't look at them?"

The Doctor gave him a very serious look. "Then bye bye Rory."

Rory waited to see if the Doctor was joking, and laughed again. "No seriously, what can a stone statue do?"

Amy answered. "They'll break your neck; kill you before you know what happened."

"That's not all they can do Rory, if they touch you they can strand you back in time and consume all of the potential energy that you would have used in your life." Again, the Doctor was forcibly reminded of the Time Lords. There weren't many races with the technology to engineer a creature like that. He knew that he could not pass up such a rare opportunity to study an Angel.

Mickey laughed. "Martha told me about you getting stuck in 1969. You're pretty useless without the Tardis, aren't you?"

The Doctor ignored him. "Martha, can you get me into that vault or no?"

"I can."

"Then do it."

Amy turned to the Doctor. "Then I'm going in too."

The Doctor shook his head. "No, you are Rory are going with Mickey to wait in a safer area. If something happens, I don't want you around here."

Amy opened her mouth to protest but the Doctor silenced her with his hand. "Please Amy, do as I say, just this once."

Furiously, Amy turned and complied with the Doctor, following Mickey and Rory to the lift.

The Doctor turned to Martha. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

"Absolutely. Now, please open the vault; I have a feeling that there is a lot more going on here than either you or I am presently aware of."

Martha stepped forward, and held her thumb up to the touchscreen monitor. After verifying her identity, the large vault door opened, revealing a small antechamber with another door. She tapped a series of codes onto the keypad that was attached to the second door and it opened, hissing as the air pressure seal broke. They both stepped inside.


	2. Chapter 2

The Angel stood in the center of the room, its position unchanged. The Doctor pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and extended the sensors. Martha watched in silence as the Doctor slowly circled the Angel, taking readings. It was a few minutes before the Doctor finally spoke.

"Now, that is interesting." He was crouched down, inspecting the Angel's knee. Straightening up, he placed the screwdriver back into his pocket and pulled out his old, black stethoscope. He fitted the rubber ends into his ears and polished the chest piece on his shirt. Martha raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really think that's going to tell you anything?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" He leaned forward as close as he dared and pressed the chest piece against the Angel's neck, carefully making sure that his fingers did not touch it. He listened for a moment, with a strange expression on his face. Martha couldn't stand the suspense.

"Well?"

The Doctor looked at her. "Why don't you try for yourself?" He took off the stethoscope and handed it to Martha. She slipped it over her ears while the Doctor held the chest piece in place. She looked up at him, amazed.

"But Doctor, that's-"

"I know." He took the stethoscope from her, and put it in his pocket. "It has two heart beats."

"But…how is that possible?"

"I don't know, but it might confirm a theory that I've had. I believe these Angels were once organic beings."

Martha looked appalled. "What could do this to someone?"

The Doctor didn't answer, his mind was racing. The Angel had dual heart beats. He stared into its face, almost in a trance. Lifting his arm, he slowly began to extend his hand toward the Angel.

"Doctor! Do you really want to do that?"

The Doctor paused for a moment. "I'm not sure exactly, but I've just got this…this feeling. I can't really explain it." He continued to reach out, until his fingers were just inches away from its face. He took a breath, and pressed his hand against the Angel's wrist.

The stone was so cold that it burned. To the Doctor, it felt as though he had plunged his hand into a bucket of ice water; for a moment he was afraid that his fingers had actually frozen to the statue. As his mind tried to recover from the shock to his nerves, he was suddenly overcome by sensations of intense emotion. He pulled his hand away and bent forward, pushing his palms against his forehead. Martha put her hand on his shoulder.

"Doctor, are you alright?"

"Yes Martha, I'm fine." The Doctor straightened and dropped his hands. "We were linked, somehow. I was overwhelmed by this extreme sense of…despair. And hunger, an insatiable hunger. It was almost incomprehensible." The Doctor was clearly troubled by what he had experienced. "There was something else too. It was almost like…like it knew me…"

Martha shook her head. "You're mad to even touch that thing, even if it supposedly is dormant. I was afraid that it was going to zap you away somewhere." The Doctor didn't respond, he was staring at the Angel again. Martha sighed and walked to the far end of the vault. A small water cooler had been placed in the corner to accommodate the UNIT scientists. She pulled a paper cup from the dispenser and proceeded to fill it, her back to him. "Here you are Doctor, drink some of this."

The Doctor pulled his gaze from the Angel and looked at Martha. "No thank you, that's not nece-"

The Doctor abruptly cut off. Martha turned and screamed, dropping the water. The Angel had extended its arm and wrapped its stone hand around the Doctor's neck. His voice came out, choked and gurgled. "M-Martha…"

She took a step forward but the Doctor motioned her back with his hands. "Stay…away…"

"Doctor, what should I do?" She was afraid to take her eyes off of the Angel again. She watched, helpless, as the Doctor tried in vain to pry the Angel's fingers from around his neck. "Should I try to get someone for help?"

"Close…the…vault…" The Doctor spit out the words. His lips were turning blue and his eyes had started to bulge. His vision was fading. Martha ran to the door, and realized that she had taken her eyes off of the Angel again. Panicked, she looked back and saw that the Angel had now lifted the Doctor into the air, his feet swinging a few inches from the floor. Without thinking, she ran at the Angel and tried to grab its arm in a futile attempt to free the Doctor. The moment her fingers brushed against the stone, she vanished into thin air and the Angel dropped the Doctor. His vision was still blurry and it was a few seconds before he fully regained his sight. Looking up, he saw that the Angel had resumed its original position, covering its eyes.

"Oh, no no no, what the hell have you done? Where is Martha?" The Doctor shouted at the Angel. It remained still. He stood up and looked around. There was no sign of Martha anywhere. He glared at the Angel. "You bring her back this instant, do you hear me!" He knew it was useless. Martha was gone, and he had no idea where she was or how he was going to find her.

Amy took a sip of water from the small paper cup that Mickey had given her. "It's been too long."

Rory sighed. "The Doctor told us to wait until we hear from him."

"But we might never hear from him again, that's the point! You just don't understand, you've never seen an Angel before." Amy set down her water and stood up. "We've got to go back."

Rory shook his head. "I just don't think it's a good idea."

Mickey spoke up. "For what it's worth, I agree with Rory."

Amy rounded on Mickey. "Aren't you worried about your wife?"

"Of course I am. But she's a professional; she knows what she's doing. And if there's anyone I trust her with, it's the Doctor."

Amy sat back down, glowering. She hated feeling so helpless, and she knew in her heart that the Doctor was in danger.

Rory tried to break the awkward silence that had fallen on the group. "So Mickey, what exactly did Martha mean when she said the Doctor had 'a thing for redheads'?"

Mickey laughed. "She was just talking about this woman that the Doctor used to travel with, her name was Donna. She had red hair too."

Rory nodded. "I see. I've never heard the Doctor mention her."

Mickey looked down. "No, you probably wouldn't. I reckon he's still pretty upset about what happened."

Amy stopped pretending to ignore the conversation. "What happened? Did she die?"

Mickey shook his head. "No, not as bad as that. But something happened to her. The Doctor had to erase everything from her memory that would remind her of the time that she spent with him. Apparently, the knowledge could somehow kill her. I don't know the specifics, but you could tell he was pretty torn up about it. After it happened, he came to visit and told us the situation. We're not allowed to see her, although she probably wouldn't recognize us anyway."

Amy was silent for a moment. She sympathized with Donna, after she had so recently almost forgotten all about the Doctor herself. But remembering the Doctor hadn't killed her, it had brought him back into existence. She thought back to that day, and wished that there was some way she could conjure his blue box again. No sooner had these thoughts crossed her mind, when she felt a soft breeze against her face. A moment later, they all heard the same sound. It was the Tardis engines, materializing a few feet away from them. Amy jumped up, relief etched in her features. She raced to the door and threw it open. Her scream quickly drew Rory and Mickey to see what was wrong. Shocked, they stood at the Tardis threshold and stared at what was sitting by the console. The Doctor had brought the Weeping Angel onboard.

Martha surveyed her surroundings. She was standing at the top of a large, rocky summit. It was dark, and the stars overhead were clustered in unfamiliar constellations. The wind howled and she shivered, pulling her thin lab coat against her. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, momentarily illuminating the landscape. It looked completely desolate, and was dotted with what looked the wreckage of old space ships. She thought she could see the ruins of an old castle in the distance. She tried to take a step and almost fell; stumbling on the large, uneven rocks that lined the terrain. She crouched onto her hands and knees and slowly crawled along the ground, fighting the panic that had started to rise within her. She had no idea where she was, or if the Doctor would be able to find her. She wasn't even sure if the Doctor was still alive. What if he had not been able to free himself from the Angel? She continued to carefully pick her way through the rocks, knowing that her only option would be to find some sort of shelter. She was completely unaware that she had already been observed. She was being followed, and her pursuers were closing in.

"This is absolutely crazy Doctor! Why the hell would you bring that thing into the Tardis?" Amy refused to move another inch. The Doctor didn't answer; he was busy at the console. Amy had never seen his hands move so quickly over the controls. He called out, completely ignoring Amy's question.

"Could you please shut the door? If you're coming, stay. If not, get out." He looked pointedly at Amy, who understood. Rory closed the door behind her, and walked up to stand next to the Doctor. Mickey stood next to Amy, and looked around at the Tardis' interior.

"I see your face isn't the only thing you've changed." He laughed, and then something suddenly occurred to him. "Where is Martha?"

The Doctor stopped and looked at Mickey. He opened his mouth and hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Mickey asked again. "Doctor, can you please tell me where my wife is?" He was getting angry, but tried not to show it. The Doctor knew that it was futile to beat around the bush.

"She touched the Angel, Mickey. She disappeared. I have no idea where she is, or how we're going to get her back. The only thing I could think of was to try to find a way to force the Angel to tell us where it put her."

Mickey raised his voice. "And how exactly are you going to get it to do that?" He struggled to control himself but failed. "You've really got a knack for losing your friends, don't you Doctor?" He meant it to sting, and it did. The Doctor looked back down at the controls and said nothing. He hit a few more buttons and a small, metal helmet began to descend from the ceiling. Rory looked up.

"What is that thing?" They all watched as it came to a halt in front of the Angel.

"It's a chameleon arch. It can be used to completely change a person's biology." The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and walked over to the helmet. He began making minute adjustments to the headpiece. "There, with a little jiggery pokery, I think we can make this work."

"Martha told me about that thing." Mickey stood with his arms crossed, anger and curiosity fighting within him. "She said you used it to make yourself human."

"That's exactly right, Mickey."

Amy joined into the conversation. "What, are you going to use that thing to make it human?"

The Doctor looked at her and smiled. "Very close, Amy! That's exactly what I'm doing. Only I'm hoping to restore it to whatever its original biology was."

Amy repeated him. "Original biology? You mean that thing started out as something else?"

"Yes Amy, at least I think so. I'm going to use the chameleon arch to try to find out." He took the helmet and tried to place it on the Angel's head. It didn't fit, so he balanced it as well as he could, setting it at an awkward angle. He walked back to the console and put his hand over the switch. "Everyone ready?" They were all too anxious to give a proper response, so the Doctor flicked the switch.

A large pop exploded from the headpiece, accompanied by a bright spark of flame. The metal sizzled and it began to pour out copious amounts of thick smoke. The helmet fell from the Angel's head, and swung back and forth on the wire that suspended it from the ceiling.

The Doctor coughed, waving the smoke from his face. "Somehow, I don't think that worked."

Mickey stepped forward, his patience at its limit. "Well, what are you going to do now Doctor? Your brilliant plan didn't work. I swear to you, if I lose Martha…" He couldn't finish his sentence. He had not meant to get so worked up, but he had already lost his first love to the Doctor. It had taken Mickey a long time to relinquish the resentment he had felt, and only after hearing Martha's stories about the Doctor did he realize that he was not the only one who had been shunted aside. Both he and Martha had stopped traveling with the Doctor because they felt undervalued, and Mickey believed that it was something they had bonded over. The thought of losing her in this manner was almost too much. He knew it wasn't the Doctor's fault, but he could not stop himself from blaming him.

The Doctor tried to think of his next move, but he was completely at a loss. Not only was Martha gone, but he now had an Angel in the Tardis, and no idea of what to do with it. He had endangered the rest of his companions in a futile attempt at the impossible. He was so sure that the chameleon arch would work. He pulled the stethoscope from his pocket and placed it against the Angel once again. He could still hear two heart beats. How was it possible? He listened intently, and began to notice something unusual about the beats. The rhythm was not quite stable. Some beats were slightly longer than others, and others were skipped completely. There seemed to be an odd sort of pattern, and there was something vaguely familiar about it to the Doctor.

"Is that…no…it couldn't be…" He continued to listen. Closing his eyes, he willed his mind to concentrate. And then it came to him. "AHA!"

His shout caused everyone to jump; they had all been watching in silence.

Forgetting her fear of the Angel, Amy rushed forward. "Doctor, what is it? What are you listening to?"

The Doctor was exuberant. "Don't you see? It's a code! The Angel is trying to communicate with us!" He listened for another moment. "It's using an ancient Gallifreyan form of communication, similar to the Morse Code that humans used in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The name stirred something in Mickey. "Wasn't your planet called Gallifrey? Does that mean this Angel could be like you?"

"That is definitely a possibility, Mickey. When I was a student, this code had not been used on Gallifrey for millions of years. It was known only by a handful of the elder Time Lords. I was taught by an old professor at the Academy; although I must admit, I'm a little rusty."

Mickey frowned. "Well then you'd better get unrusty."

The Doctor turned to face the Angel and resumed listening to its heart beats. He slowly began to recognize some of the code. He furrowed his brow in concentration. After a moment, the Doctor's eyes widened as he realized what it was telling him. He had been given galactic coordinates. He jumped up and ran to the console, punching buttons and throwing all of the levers in a frenzy.

Amy came to stand by him, still keeping one eye on the Angel. "Where are we going, Doctor?"

He looked at her and winked. "We're going to an old favorite of mine. It's a planet called Karn."


	3. Chapter 3

A heavy mist curled around the base of the Tardis as it materialized onto the surface of the planet.

"Right. Before we go out, we're going to need a little preparation." The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his pair of solar glasses. He tossed them to Mickey. "Everyone put these on."

Amy picked up her pair, looking skeptical. "Are these really necessary? I'm not so sure about wearing them in public."

"Karn is hardly public, Amy. You don't have to wear them if you don't want to, but I think you might find them useful."

Rory put his glasses on. "Is this planet inhabited?"

The Doctor smiled. "In a manner of speaking. Its sole inhabitants are the Sisterhood of Karn."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "So, that means..."

"Yes, Rory. The entire population of the planet is female."

Mickey scowled. "What exactly are we going to accomplish by coming here?"

The Doctor pulled out another pair of glasses from under the console and walked to the door. "The Sisterhood has something that we need, and they owe me a favor. I only hope they haven't forgotten."

"Wait a minute, Doctor." Amy looked back at the Angel. "You're not just going to leave that thing in here, are you?"

"We're going to have to. I don't think it's a good idea to let the Sisterhood know that we've brought it here, they might not look on it too kindly."

They exited the Tardis. It was gray daylight outside, giving them a bleak view of the rocky landscape. The Doctor studied their position.

"I believe we go...this way." He took a few steps and reconsidered, peering into the distance. "Actually, no. It's this way." He turned around, and headed in the opposite direction. The members of his party exchanged worried glances before dutifully falling into step behind him. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke.

"Why do you think the Angel wanted us to come here, Doctor?" Amy observed the jagged peaks on the horizon. "I don't see how anyone could live in this place."

The Doctor suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing Amy to collide into the back of him. He motioned for them to be silent, and listened.

It was a moment before they realized that they had been completely surrounded. A small group of women had quietly formed a tight circle around them. They wore long, rust colored robes and ornate headpieces that were embellished with elaborate gold embroidery. They were brandishing strange red daggers that had been cut to resemble a flame, and sharpened to a point. Matching red flames had been painted around their eyes.

The Doctor spoke softly. "Be careful everyone, don't do anything to antagonize them. The Sisterhood is very powerful. They can plant false visions in your mind, try to break you down from the inside. They'll never kill you outright, unless it's for a sacrifice."

Amy glared at him. "Right, Doctor. And you didn't think it was important to tell us this _before_ we left the Tardis?"

"Hello there!" The Doctor addressed the Sister who stood closest to him. "I don't know if you remember me, I'm the Doctor."

She answered. "We know who you are, Doctor."

The Doctor grinned. "Excellent, then there's no need for introductions."

"What is your reason for coming here?"

"Well, I should've thought that was obvious. There's only one reason people come to Karn, and it's certainly not the scenery."

The Sister eyed him suspiciously. "The Time Lords were destroyed, and Gallifrey is gone. How is it that you come to be here?"

"Ah yes, I was wondering if you were going to wonder about that. I really must see Ohica, is she still your High Priestess?"

The Sister nodded. "Yes, we will take you to the High One."

The Doctor held out his arm. "Please lead the way."

The group was silent as they made their way over the rocky terrain. The strange women kept in tight formation around the Doctor and his friends. It wasn't long before they reached the cluster of caves where the Sisterhood resided. The group came to a stop at the mouth of the main cave. The Doctor looked around, unable to keep a grin from forming on his face.

"Ah, such memories! It's been quite a long time since I last visited the Sisterhood." He turned around and faced the Sister he had spoken to before. "I can see the place has lost none of its quaint charm!"

She did not dignify him with a response. "The men are to wait outside. Only females may enter the shrine of the Sisterhood."

Mickey frowned. "Uh uh, there's no way I'm waiting around out here."

Rory spoke at the same time. "I'm not letting Amy go in there without me."

The Sister narrowed her eyes. "There is no choice. You must obey, or you will suffer the consequences."She extended her arm towards them, brandishing a heavy ring that she wore on her finger.

Mickey snorted. "Oh really, is that supposed to frighten me?"

A sharp flash of light suddenly burst out of the ring. Amy screamed, and the Doctor grabbed her arm, preventing her from running at the Sister. Both Mickey and Rory seemed momentarily startled, but quickly regained their bearings. Mickey laughed.

"Really, is that the best you can do? That's a pretty weak attack."

"Mickey..." The Doctor said warningly. "Don't antagonize them, please."

The Sister looked at her ring in puzzlement. "I do not understand. You should have been blinded."

The Doctor spoke up. "That's actually my fault, I'm sorry." He tapped the solar glasses on his face. "These will protect us from your rings. I thought it would be a sensible precaution, considering that you've blinded my companions before."

The Sister was not amused. "We are not to be trifled with, Doctor. Such behavior will not be tolerated."

The Doctor leaned over and spoke quietly in her ear. "I'm not to be trifled with either. Now, take us to Ohica please."He turned to the rest of the group. "Mickey, Rory, you're staying out here. There's no use arguing, let's just get this done and over with so we can find Martha." Mickey opened his mouth to protest, but then thought the better of it. Rory spoke up.

"If there are no men allowed, then how come you can go in?"

The Doctor smiled. "Well, I'm a Time Lord. We don't count, do we? Besides, I've been in the shrine before."He gestured to the Sisters gathered around them. "Alright then, let's get on with it. Not all of us have eternity to stand around all day doing nothing."A sudden thought struck him. "What exactly _do_ you do all day?"

"Doctor..."Amy shook her head at him.

"Yes, right. On we go then."Led by the Sisterhood's strange entourage, they made their way into the cave. A series of short, dark tunnels brought them into a large chamber. The air was heavy with incense, a haze of smoke swirled lazily in the dim light. A beautiful young woman, seemingly the High Priestess, sat on a large raised dais in the center of the room. A group of Sisters slowly circled her, chanting in feverish whispers. They were deeply engrossed in some sort of ritual. After a moment, the haze in the room seemed to gather up and become solidified. The shape grew larger and larger, slowly morphing until it became a tall, blue box. It was the Tardis. Amy gasped.

"Doctor!"

"Yes, yes Amy I know. I've seen their little trick before." He turned to the High Priestess. "Look you really must stop doing that, it's bad for..."He stopped and tried to think of something. "the brakes, probably."

The High Priestess gazed down at him.

"What are you doing back on Karn, Doctor?"

"Yes, it's nice to see you too Ohica. We'll have plenty of time to catch up later but right now I really must ask a favor of you."

Ohica raised an eyebrow. "A favor?"

"I need the elixir."

There was a collective gasp from the Sisters surrounding Ohica. A wave of her hand immediately silenced them.

"What do you need the elixir for, Doctor?"

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you that."

Ohica seemed to ponder for a moment. "We do not share the elixir with outsiders."

"You've shared it with the Time Lords. And you've given it to me before."

Her eyes widened. "Yes Doctor, which begs the question of how you come to be here. The Time Lords no longer exist. How did you survive?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Just lucky I guess. But that's not important right now. Ohica, I really need just a tiny bit of elixir. Surely you haven't run out again?"

"No Doctor, we have not run out. But I will not risk that happening again. With your race gone, these are dangerous times, and I must be prepared to protect my Sisters. I'm sorry Doctor, but I cannot share the elixir with you."

The Doctor became angry. "You wouldn't even have that elixir if it weren't for me! You'd all be dead now!"

Ohica considered this. "Yes, you are right Doctor. We are in your debt."

"Then give me the elixir!"The Doctor stared at her, exasperated.

Ohica was silent for several moments. Finally, she stood up. The Doctor held out his arm and helped her down from the pedestal. She proceeded to a large, ornate metal panel that was hinged to the wall. Drawing a key from within her robes, she placed it into a lock on the metal panel, and pulled it open. Behind it, a large flame sprang up from a fissure in the wall. An elaborate golden goblet had been placed beneath the flame, catching the elixir that dripped from the stone.

"I see your chimney's doing well." The Doctor grinned at Ohica.

"You have spoken the truth, Doctor. Had it not been for you, the Sacred Flame would have died. I will give you the elixir, but you must tell no one, and you must never come back to Karn. Our debt to you is paid."She reached into the bottom of the fissure and pulled out a small, glass vial.

The Doctor bowed deeply. "Those are terms I can easily accept. Ohica, I can't thank you eno-"

Suddenly, Amy grabbed his arm. "Doctor!"

"Really Pond, what is it?"

Amy's eyes were wide, she seemed almost speechless. She held out her hand and pointed at one of the Sisters.

"Look."

The Doctor squinted through the darkness at the woman. Then he took off his solar glasses and squinted harder. His jaw dropped.

"MARTHA!"

He started towards her but she backed away. She stood in the traditional stance of the Sisterhood, arms crossed high in front of her neck with her palms facing in. She wore the traditional garb of the Sisterhood, with ceremonial red flames painted onto her face. She gave no indication that she recognized Amy or the Doctor. Furious, he turned to Ohica.

"What have you done to my friend?"

Ohica raised both of her eyebrows. "She is of the Sisterhood of the Flame."

"But that's impossible, how long has she been here?"

Ohica looked at Martha. "She is our newest Sister; she has been here for two hundred years."

Amy was shocked. "Two hundred years? But Doctor, why would the Angel send Martha here-" The Doctor gave her a harsh glance, and she abruptly stopped speaking.

Ohica's eyes widened further. "What do you mean by this? An Angel sent her here?"

Amy quickly realized her mistake. "Oh nothing, nothing, I was just... babbling."

"The Weeping Angels are the ancient enemies of the Sisterhood. Since the days of Rassilon, they came to this planet, hoping to feast on our immortality."Ohica closed the metal panel, locking it. "There are very few beings with more potential life energy than those of the Sisterhood. But we have strengthened our powers so that none of us will fall victim to the Angels. They dare not come here anymore."

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Um yes, that's all good and well. Unfortunately we've got to be getting along now, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to take Martha back with us."

Ohica narrowed her eyes. "She is a member of the Sisterhood. She has taken an oath to serve the Flame. She cannot leave us."

The Doctor pulled his hands over his face in frustration. "No, but really, listen. This girl has a life, a family. She needs to go back to where she belongs."

"Whatever fleeting existence she might have led before is gone forever Doctor. The only way for her to leave the Sisterhood is to die."

The Doctor thought for a moment. He turned to Martha and put his hand against her cheek. He seemed to be concentrating intently. "Do you remember me at all? The Doctor? Your friend?"

She stared at him, her eyes were frightened. "No. I have never seen you before. I will not go anywhere with you."

The Doctor pulled his hand away and looked at Amy. "Alright Pond. It's time for us to be off."He held out his other hand to Ohica. "I'll take that elixir now, if you don't mind."

Ohica dropped the vial lightly into his palm, as Amy exploded in a torrent of protests. "What! Doctor we can't just leave her here!"

"You heard Ohica, Amy. Martha took an oath to the Sacred Flame, she cannot leave. And she doesn't recognize us, so we can't take her by force."

Amy was practically shouting. "I can't believe you're just going to give up like this!"

"Shut up Amy. Let's get back to the Tardis." He snapped his fingers, and the door swung open. He winked at Ohica. "Pretty neat trick, eh?"He took Amy by the elbow and steered her towards the Tardis. He whispered in her ear. "Just trust me, we need to get out of here." He turned back to Ohica and the rest of the Sisters. "Goodbye everyone! Until next time..."

Ohica stepped forward. "Remember Doctor, you must never return to this place or your life will be forfeit."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Ah yes, I'll keep that in mind."He pushed Amy into the Tardis and closed the door behind them. Amy immediately rounded on him.

"Explain what that was all about. What's the point of getting that elixir to find Martha if we're just going to leave Martha here!"

The Doctor pulled the glass vial out of his pocket and tossed it to Amy, who barely caught it.

"Hey watch it! You could've broken it!"

"It doesn't matter, that elixir is fake. They were never going to give it to us. I think I understand why the Angel sent Martha here."The Doctor walked to the console and began plotting coordinates.

As she followed him, Amy realized something was missing.

"Doctor! Where is the Angel?"

"Probably somewhere in the Tardis. It's fine, at the moment we have more pressing issues. Now, let's get Rory and Mickey."He thought for a moment. "I really think it best for us not to tell Mickey about Martha, not initially. He tends to be a little sensitive about the subject."

The Time Rotor began to move for a few seconds before it slowed to a stop. The Doctor ran to the door and pushed it open. A relieved looking Rory and a surly faced Mickey came through the door.

"About time isn't it Doctor?"

"It's always about time Mickey, when you live in a Time Machine. Now, let's get going." He rushed back to the console and began pushing buttons. Once again, the Time Rotor began to move, causing the whole Tardis to shudder. "I know I know, just one more short trip old girl."

Amy sighed. "Should I even bother to ask where we're going now, Doctor?"

"We're not going anywhere. We're just going to fast forward a couple of hours." As the Doctor finished speaking, the Time Rotor came to a halt. He pulled down the monitor and flicked it on. They were still in front of the caves of the Sisterhood, only now the sun had set. The Doctor sat, watching the view screen; he seemed to be waiting for something. Amy spoke.

"What does this elixir do anyway?"

Rory looked confused. "What elixir?"

The Doctor answered without taking his eyes off the monitor. "It can heal any wound. If one has a constant supply, it can enable them to become virtually immortal. That's why the Angels used to feed off of the Sisters. Their lives are so long that the Angels could feast indefinitely off of a single member of the Sisterhood. But they eventually developed-"He stopped abruptly. His eye had caught something in the monitor. He jumped up, and ran towards the door. Amy went to follow him.

"Stay here, all of you." The Doctor bellowed, and exited the Tardis. Amy stopped in her tracks, and turned back to the monitor. The three of them watched anxiously as the Doctor walked up to the mouth of a cave. A woman stepped out to meet him.

Mickey shouted. "MARTHA! What the hell is she doing here?"

Amy didn't say anything, but motioned for him to be quiet so that they could listen. Incredibly, Mickey complied.

Outside, the Doctor faced Martha. "I believe you have something for me." Blank faced, she put her hand into her robe and drew out a small glass bottle. "Aha! Good girl Martha. Now, give it to me." As if in a trance, she handed him the bottle, still saying nothing. He slid it into his pocket, and then returned his attention to Martha. "Alright now, if I could hypnotize you enough to get you to bring me that bottle, let's see if I can undo the rest of this conditioning." He put his hands to her face, touching her temples. He bowed his head against hers, willing her to remember. After a moment her blank eyes became focused, and she recognized him.

"Doctor! Oh my God I'm so glad to see you!" She wrapped her arms around him and they hugged. Behind Martha, a voice came from the darkness of the cave.

"You were told never to return, Doctor. You shall now face the consequences."

The Doctor let go of Martha, and pushed her behind him.

"I believe the deal was that I never came back if you gave me the elixir. You broke your end of the bargain first, Ohica."

Ohica stepped forward, out of the shadows. "You have perverted one of our Sister's against us, and stolen the elixir. You shall both pay the highest penalty."A troop of Sisters rushed out from behind Ohica, flanking Martha and the Doctor.

Inside the Tardis, Mickey was running for the door. "I've had enough of watching this." Amy and Rory followed close behind as he ran out, calling after him. Nobody saw the flicker of white stone in the console room behind them.

Mickey stopped a few feet away from the Sisters surrounding Martha and the Doctor. Amy and Rory came to a stop behind him. Rory grabbed his arm. "We've got to get back to the Tardis."

Ignoring Rory, Mickey pulled his arm away. He called out. "MARTHA!"

Martha turned. Seeing Mickey, she put her hands to her mouth. "Mickey! You've got to get out of here!"

Mickey was now being pulled back by Amy and Rory. "No! I'm not leaving you!"

The Doctor put his hand against his head. "Mickey you idiot, you've got to get out of here, the Sisterhood is too powerful for you to fight!"

Mickey wasn't listening. He reared up, and prepared to tackle the Sister closest to Martha. As he barreled towards her she held out her ring, and attacked. A pulse of energy came out, pushing Mickey to the ground and knocking the wind out of him. Martha screamed as Amy and Rory rushed forward, pulling Mickey back.

Amy called to the Doctor. "I think he's ok." Another group of Sisters had come out of the cave and were now headed towards Amy, Rory and Mickey.

Ohica shouted. "You shall all perish for this! All will-"She stopped suddenly, and gasped. "It is our ancient enemy!"

The Weeping Angel stood in the doorway of the Tardis.

All became chaos as the Sisterhood began to panic. Some ran towards the cave while others surrounded Ohica, determined to protect her. The Sisters around the Doctor and Martha grabbed them, pulling them towards the cave. The Doctor called out.

"AMY!"

She ran towards him.

"CATCH!"He took something out of his pocket and threw it at her. Desperate, she caught it with two shaking hands. The Doctor cried "Get that back to the Tardis!"

She called back. "We're not just going to leave you here!"

The Sister's were dragging him back into the shrine. "Just go! You know what to do with it!"He was swallowed by the darkness of the cave. She didn't know whether to go after them or to do as the Doctor said. Finally she turned around, and with Rory helped Mickey walk back to the Tardis. The Angel was no longer standing in the doorway. As they entered, Rory locked the door behind them. He looked at Amy, who was staring at the glass bottle in her hand.

"Well, what now?"

She looked towards the console. The Angel stood behind it, it's hands covering it's eyes.

"I know what the Doctor wants me to do."


	4. Chapter 4

Amy cautiously moved to the console. Keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the Angel, she pulled the stopper out of the vial.

Rory cleared his throat. "Um… are you sure you should be getting so close to that thing?"

"It's fine, it can't move as long as we keep watching it." Amy leaned forward and tipped the contents of the vial over the Angel's arm. Quickly, she backed away.

Nothing happened. Everyone collectively released their breath.

"What do you think is supposed to-" Rory cut off abruptly.

A dim light was glowing from within the Angel's arm. Slowly, the light spread into its torso, growing brighter. Its wings melted into its back as its figure began to shrink. The stone was dissolving; its arms and face began to reveal patches of skin which shone through the light. Rory considered making a comment about the resemblance to Han Solo being freed from carbonite but thought better of it. Its robes gradually softened from stone into a thick, woven cloth. When the light finally dimmed, an old woman stood in place of the Angel. Her legs crumpled beneath her and she sank to the floor.

Amy rushed to her.

"No!" The woman's voice was hoarse. "Get back, stay away!"

As she spoke, a golden light began to spill from her mouth. After a few moments the light became so radiant that the other occupants of the Tardis were forced to shield their eyes. As the brightness faded, they were shocked to discover a completely different woman lying on the floor.

Amy slowly approached the woman, who seemed to be trying to speak.

"The Doctor..."

Amy helped the woman to sit up. "Yes, we're friends of the Doctor. Don't worry, you're safe with us."

"Please...Take me to him..."

Amy exchanged glances with Rory and Mickey. "Let's get you sorted out first. Are you ok? Can you sit up?"

"I...I think so..." The woman looked up and surveyed her surroundings. She was beautiful, with short dark hair and large brown eyes that shone with a fierce intensity. She turned to Amy. "You said you're friends of the Doctor?" Her voice, while delicate, had a commanding quality. "It is vitally important that I see him." She glanced around again, her nose wrinkled. "What on earth has he done to this Tardis?"

Trying to steer the conversation away from the Doctor for the moment, Amy led the woman to the yellow chair by the console and helped her to sit down. "You've been in the Tardis before?"

The woman answered with a faint smile. "Of course I have, I traveled with the Doctor many years ago. Where is he?"

Amy sighed. "He's been kidnapped, by some sort of cult."

The woman frowned. "The Sisterhood of Karn."

Rory nodded. "That's the one. Now that you're here, we should probably get around to rescuing him."

The mysterious woman stood up and slowly walked to the console, deep in contemplation. After a moment, she spoke. "We don't have time to rescue him. There is a matter of utmost importance to which I must attend, without delay." She looked down at the controls and shook her head, her tone derisive. "He's certainly made a mess of this console; it's a wonder how he even manages to set coordinates." She began to make adjustments, preparing the Tardis for dematerialization.

Amy, Rory and Mickey simultaneously voiced their dissent.

"We can't just leave the Doctor!" Amy protested. "You wouldn't even be here if it hadn't been for him, he risked his life to save you!"

The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I need to get back to Gallifrey. I don't have time to explain, but the entire universe is at risk and I can't delay any longer." She finished setting the coordinates and keyed in the final command, causing the Tardis to dematerialize. Amy looked at Rory, confused.

"But...Gallifrey-"

Rory looked questioningly at the woman. "Hang on, isn't that the Doctor's home planet?"

She nodded. "Yes, and mine too. I'm a Time Lady."

Mickey spoke. "But the Doctor said that Gallifrey was destroyed. There are no more Time Lords."

The woman stopped and turned to stare at Mickey, some of the haughtiness gone from her voice. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. The Doctor said he's the last of his kind because his people had been destroyed in some sort of Time War."

The Tardis engines came to a halt; they had reached their destination. The woman turned back and studied the console, apparently ignoring what Mickey had told her. Her brow furrowed. She pulled down the display screen and gasped. Running to the doors, she wrenched them open. They were floating in empty space.

She stared in disbelief. "It...Can't be..."

She turned to the rest of the group, who were watching her from the console.

Amy looked sympathetic. "We need the Doctor; he can explain everything to you. Please take us back."

In a daze, the woman closed the doors and walked back to the console. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She began to reset the coordinates.

Amy gently put her hand on the woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

The woman bowed her head and did not reply.

For a few moments no one could think of anything to say. Feeling rather uncomfortable, Rory decided to break the silence. "So... do you have a name?"

She answered quietly. "Romanadvoratrelundar."

Rory coughed. "Um, excuse me?"

Raising her voice slightly, she spoke again. "Romanadvoratrelundar."

"Ah, I see. Could you possibly repeat that again?"

She sighed. "I suppose you can call me Romana."

"Well…It's nice to meet you, Romana." She didn't respond, so Rory continued. "My name is Rory, and this is my wife Amy." Amy gave her a small smile. "And this is Mickey."

Mickey's patience was thin. "Look, enough with the introductions. When are we going to rescue my wife?"

Romana looked at him. "Your wife?

Mickey glared at her. "Yes, my wife. We wouldn't have to be rescuing either of them if you hadn't zapped her to that stupid, bloody planet. "

Amy cut in. "Which leads me to the next question. You were an Angel a few minutes ago, would you mind explaining that?"

Romana frowned. "I suppose that you have a right to know." She thought for a moment, trying to decide where to begin. "So, the Doctor has told you about the Time War?" They all nodded.

Amy spoke. "But he never really went into any detail."

"Before the War, I was President of the Supreme High Council of the Time Lords." Romana sighed. "I was considered somewhat 'radical' by my colleagues on the Council; they had disagreed with some of my more progressive policies. As the War continued, my opponents began to openly question my ability to lead Gallifrey. They were concerned that I would be unwilling to pursue more aggressive tactics against our enemies. So they conspired to subvert my authority, and I was deposed. An ancient Time Lord, called Rassilon, was restored and brought back into power. He had been a founder of modern Time Lord society, and was considered to be the most formidable leader in the history of Gallifrey. Soon after I was overthrown, Rassilon devised the Ultimate Sanction; a definitive end to the Time War."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "And what was that?"

"It was the final contingency plan. Essentially, the Time Lords would bring about the annihilation of all creation, which they alone would survive by casting off their corporeal bodies and evolving into beings of pure energy. In this way they could live indefinitely, at the expense of every other living being in the universe."

Everyone was silent; no one knew what to say to such a revelation.

"Naturally, I couldn't let this happen. But my efforts to oppose them were thwarted, and as punishment for my treason I was condemned to live out the remainder of existence as an Angel."

Amy's eyes widened. "Does that mean all of the Angels are actually prisoners? Are all of them Time Lords like you?"

Romana shook her head. "No, not all are Time Lords. Back in the early days of Rassilon, Gallifrey had conquered many planets. Rassilon had numerous enemies, as evidenced by the number of Angels that exist. This is the final secret of the Time Lords, for no one knows how an Angel comes into existence until they are made one."

Amy shifted uncomfortably. She thought of those Angels on the Byzantium, who had been erased from existence. If what Romana was saying was true, then they had all been innocent people.

Rory spoke up. "But how were you able to get a message to the Doctor?"

Romana took a moment before she responded, her voice barely above a whisper. "It almost feels as though it was all a dream, now. When you are made an Angel, you lose all sense of yourself. All that you know is the torment of an insatiable hunger. This hunger can only be slightly eased, but never fulfilled, at the absorption of time energy." She paused. "Although I must say that the victims of Angels are shown more mercy than the Angels themselves, for they are allowed to die." She stopped speaking, and a haunted look came into her eyes.

Clearing her throat, she continued. "I don't know how or why, but I was able to retain a semblance of myself in that stone body. I knew of the elixir and I suspected that it would be able to restore me to my former self. However, the Sisterhood was no longer willing to share their store with the Time Lords, after one of their own had been kidnapped by the High Council and forced to serve as their Soothsayer. Therefore, the only way to get the elixir would be to have someone on the inside.

"I knew that the Doctor would be the only person who could help me. So I made my way to Earth, assuming that it would be the most likely place to find him. Unfortunately, part of my punishment was to be sent back billions of years in the past, so that my miserable existence would be prolonged that much longer. I went into a sort of hibernation, and awoke when I was eventually unearthed. As you all know, my discovery had prompted the Doctor to be summoned."

She turned to Mickey. "I sent your wife to the Sisterhood in order to lure the Doctor to the elixir. I couldn't send the Doctor himself because, obviously, only women are allowed into the Sisterhood."

Mickey was furious. "So you used my wife and put her life in danger, all to save your own skin?"

Romana remained unperturbed by his anger. "The universe was at risk, and I was working to prevent its destruction. It would appear, however, that the crisis has passed, and so we must focus on our current predicament." She thought for a moment. "Does anyone have a Tardis key?"

Amy pulled hers out of her pocket. "I do."

"Please, may I have it?"

Amy reached out, placing it into Romana's outstretched hand. "What exactly are you planning to do with it?"

Romana was already at the console, plugging away at the buttons. A small opening appeared and expelled a thin, cylindrical device. She picked it up and began to adjust its controls, passing it over the Tardis key. She murmured to herself. "Yes, this should do."

She continued working on it for a few minutes until, seemingly satisfied, she knelt down began to search through the cabinets under the console. She pulled out a bit of old wiring and tied it to the key.

Mickey gave an annoyed snort. "When you're finished making jewelry, maybe you can fill us in on how we're going to rescue Martha and the Doctor."

Romana pursed her lips. "This jewelry is a perception filter, which I need to in order to rescue your wife." She reached over and pulled a lever, causing the Tardis to lurch. "We're back on Karn now, I just need to dematerialize."

Amy spoke. "I'm coming with you."

"You can't. The perception filter is too weak; it can only work for one person at a time." Romana paused, looking at Amy. "On second thought, perhaps you can be of use."

Martha tried not to look as terrified as she felt. She and the Doctor stood back to back, having been tightly secured to a tall, wooden pole that was pitched in the center of a cavernous room. The members of the Sisterhood brandished large torches while circling about their prisoners in a mad frenzy of hissed incantations. Large bundles of kindling had been arranged around the base of the pole, leading Martha to an unpleasant conclusion. They were going to be burned alive.

When the Doctor had brought Martha out of her trance, her memories were lost and she no longer had any knowledge of the Sisterhood. The Doctor was trying to explain as briefly as he could what had happened, but Martha was having a hard time getting past the fact that she had spent the last 200 years on Karn. The disorientation from the swirling mass of bodies was causing Martha to feel dizzy, and she tried to focus on the only immobile figure in her line of sight.

Ohica was seated at the opposite side of the room, impassively observing the proceedings from her large, thrown-like chair. Shadows cast by the flicker of torchlight danced over her face, giving her an ethereal beauty.

Summoning her courage, Martha called out to her. "You have no right to do this!"

Ohica's gaze fell upon Martha, and she narrowed her eyes. "You will be silent. How dare you even speak to me? You, who betrayed your vows to the Sisterhood, you are worse than the traitor who stands beside you. There can be but only one punishment for such a transgression."

The Sisters surrounding them continued their relentless chanting. "_Death. Death. Death. Death…_"

The Doctor laughed. "It's seems to be the only punishment you have for anything."

Ohica looked furious. "Enough!" She stood. "The time has come. Sisters, light the pyre!"

The Sisters immediately ceased their dance and reached their torches toward the kindling.

"Wait! Stop!"

Amy bounded into the room, breathless from running. She hurried to Ohica, ignoring the scandalized gasps that were coming from the rest of the Sisters. She was wearing the thick solar glasses that the Doctor had given her. "Please don't do this, let them come back with us."

Ohica looked down at her. "They are traitors, and they have been sentenced to death. It is a fate that you will now share. Sisters, secure her to the other prisoners."

The Doctor's face fell in disappointment. What on Earth was Amy doing here? Hadn't he told her to stay away? He watched as she began to argue with Ohica, and prepared to call out before his attention was drawn to the fact that the tight bindings on his wrists were beginning to loosen. He turned, but couldn't see anyone.

He felt the bindings fall to the ground, and flexed his wrists. Without letting on, he leaned his head back and whispered to Martha. "I'm going to untie you, but don't reveal just yet that we're free. When I give you the signal, we can run for it." Silently, he finished loosening Martha's bindings and they both watched, waiting for the right moment for them to escape.

Members of the Sisterhood were convening on Amy, who was crouched in a defensive posture. Ohica pulled Amy to face her and pointed the heavy ring on her finger, firing directly into Amy's eyes. Amy stumbled backwards and fell to the floor. Several sisters rushed to her, roughly pulling her from the ground and dragged her towards the pitch to join their other prisoners.

This drew their attention to the fact that the Doctor and Martha were no longer bound to it. Chaos broke out, and Amy took advantage of the confusion to shove away the members of the Sisterhood who stood between her and the only exit out of the room. She saw the tail end of Martha's robes whip around the corner and followed in haste.

She quickly caught up with the Doctor and Martha as they ran for their lives, closely pursued by the Sisterhood. They raced out into the dreary daylight, where the Tardis had been parked close by. The Doctor pushed open the door, quickly ushering ahead Amy and Martha before slipping in behind them. He slammed the door shut, ignoring the frantic pounding that was coming from the outside. He ran to the console and set the controls to dematerialize with lightening speed. Amy was yelling something at him, but he had been so focused on leaving before the Sisterhood could drag the Tardis back that he hadn't heard what she was saying. He sighed in relief as the engines roared to life, indicating that they had gone into flight. Amy stood by the entrance, staring at him in opened mouthed horror.

He frowned at her. "What's the matter?"

She shouted angrily. "You left Romana behind!"

The Doctor gazed at her in stunned silence, trying to comprehend the words that had just left her mouth.

"What did you just say?"


End file.
